Oversight

A lot of the alignment codings in Baldur's Gate II
are, to put it nicely, insane. Good brigands and murderers.
Neutral paladins. Evil actors, major-domos, Priests
of Lathander, and other characters that are entirely
helpful and friendly. The Alignment Correction component
of this mod was written to correct these errors.

Additionally, in Throne of Bhaal, David Gaider created
excellent Tougher versions of four members of the Five,
which are most conveniently available as part of Ascension-WeiDU,
located at www.weidu.org,
but no Tougher version of Sendai, Throne of Bhaal's
ultimate spellcaster. Already markedly weaker than
her brother Abazigal, whom players could encounter
before facing her, Sendai became the weakest of the
Five when all existing Tougher versions were installed.
The Tougher Sendai component strives to rectify this,
making Sendai approximately as deadly as Tougher Abazigal.

Oversight contains the following components, which
can be installed independently of one another:

Alignment Correction
This component will change the alignments of the 700-some-odd
creature files with alignments that seem at odds
with their BG2 behavior.
This component changes the creature files to the
alignments I believe make most sense for them; this
is inevitably a judgment call.

Be aware that this component will only change those
creatures whom your character has not yet seen. If
you wish to experience the full effects of the mod
(that is, if you simply can't live with having killed
a Neutral Good otyugh in the starting dungeon), you
will need to begin a new game after installing. However,
every miscoded character whose first appearance is
after installation of this mod will be corrected, and
every miscoded character (including the otyugh) will
be corrected in any future games you play.

If you feel the mod is good for the most part but
that I've changed a coding in error, or left a coding
alone in error, feel free to email me. However, be
aware of the following principles this component depends
on:

Inherent evil makes for lame stories. An email
which goes, "But you can't make X good/evil,
all members of that species are evil/good" is
unlikely to sway me. I'll be far more likely to make
changes you suggest if your argument takes the form, "This
character should be evil/good/chaotic/lawful/neutral
because in the game she does x, y, and z."

The original coding of the game characters is
a bad joke. "There isn't a compelling enough
reason to change the coded alignment of that character" is
unlikely to sway me. Any reason at all, down to and
including "That looks like a Chaotic hairstyle
to me," is more compelling than the game's original
coding.

I will not tread on another modder's toes. Don't
ask me to make WeimerSolaufein or Ascension Balthazar
Lawful Neutral, or to change anything else from a
mod. Make your case instead to Westley Weimer (for
Solaufein), David Gaider (for Ascension), or the
designer of the mod in question (other mods).

Good ≠ Nice. Just because a character is rude
does not mean that character is evil. It doesn't
even imply that that character is not good.

Tabletop D&D was not consulted for any of
these. I've been playing D&D for twenty years,
and I've never played in a game without house rules.
If a character's actions in BG2 indicate
a different alignment from a D&D supplement (a
character listed in a supplement as Neutral who acts
blatantly evil in BG2,
for example), I take that to indicate that BioWare
changed the character and accordingly changed the
character's proper alignment, rather than that the
actions are to be ignored.

Class Tweaks/Fixes This component changes those creature files
with weird/inappropriate classes. I expect this component
to be far more controversial than the Alignment Correction
component. I doubt anyone will disagree that kobold
shamans and hobgoblin captains shouldn't be coded as
paladins, but what I do expect to draw more dissent
is my reassigning of the Innocent class.

I consider this mod component entirely a fix, as many
of the class codings are just as insane as the alignment
codings; however, I realize some others will disagree,
so I've named it Tweaks/Fixes. Call the changes tweaks
or fixes (or something unprintable if you'd rather),
as you please.

As with the Alignment Correction component, you are
free to send me an email and make a case that I've
changed a class inappropriately. However, again, there
are some principles you should take into account.

Reputation serves a dual function in the Baldur's
Gate series: It reflects how you are seen, as its
name suggests, but it also reflects how good you
actually are. I use the coding "Innocent" primarily
to reflect the latter, and I believe the game's coding,
schizophrenic as it is, supports the idea that this
is the true purpose of the class. I am thus unlikely
to be convinced by arguments that take the form, "So-and-so
shouldn't be an Innocent because no one would ever
know if I killed him," or, "so-and-so should
be an Innocent because even if she's evil she's still
a respected member of the community." I take
the position that a plurality of characters in the
world are True Neutral. Some Neutral and Good characters
may be unpleasant, but if a character is actually
Evil with the Alignment Correction component of this
mod, he or she is guilty of something bad enough
that some people will consider you a hero if it becomes
known you killed that character.

This component is written for a world affected
by the Alignment Correction component. "He shouldn't
be an Innocent because he's evil" is a compelling
argument for me to change one of those qualities
in the character in question--but only if the character
is an "evil Innocent" when both the Alignment
Correction and Class Tweaks/Fixes component is installed.

Tougher Sendai This component will make Sendai an opponent
on par with the rest of the Tougher versions of the
Five. It will change her stats to match those of the
Sendai who appears for the final battle in the Ascension
mod, and give her equipment and spell choices that
enable her to make full use of her powers.

If you play on Core or below, she functions with strict
limits on what she can or cannot do. On Hard or Insane,
she is much more interested in kicking your ass than
in being "fair" about it. Hopefully, you
should notice a marked increase in the difficulty of
the fight on any difficulty setting, but the tactics
and abilities she uses will be different for each difficulty
setting. (If you are curious, a list of the differences
is available at http://gibberlings3.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=2549
, but I strongly advise against looking at it before
you fight Sendai, as it will ruin the surprise for
you.)

Within the limits of BG2's AI,
she attempts to be as deadly as an intelligently played PC.
This is not a game to her; even on Novice, she has
no compunction about abusing the engine to achieve
the Greater Good of kicking your ass and thus saving
her own. If you can think of anything that you think
would be an effective tactic for a character with her
stats in her situation and that she does not already
do, by all means, email it to me. If you can think
of tactics that work on her that ought not to work
on an intelligent opponent, let me know as well.

Altered SpellsThis component revises three of the spells
in BG2 that
are too weak to be worth casting. A ranger's Charm
Animals ability will now automatically and permanently
befriend every animal on the map. Know Alignment now
targets every character on the map, like Detect Evil,
and allows no save. It also detects lawful or chaotic
alignment, instead of just good and evil. Comet is
now unaffected by magic resistance and the damage it
inflicts is half cold and half crushing, making it
no longer a weaker choice than Dragon's Breath for
every situation.

Improved Continuity
This component changes the soundset of the final villain
of Shadows of Amn, in the final battle, to the soundset
he's used throughout the game, instead of the ogre
soundset he currently uses. It also prevents Saemon
Havarian from returning in Throne of Bhaal if he
has died in Shadows of Amn (and only if he has died--dark
and terrible rumors suggest some people actually
like him; if you didn't kill him in SoA,
you don't need to worry about him failing to show
up in ToB).

Cleric Kits In Baldur's Gate II, clerics can choose a
kit, and gain a stronghold, based on one component
of their alignment--Good clerics serve Lathander, Neutral
clerics serve Helm, and Evil clerics serve Talos. However,
while Lathander works as a blanket Good deity, Helm
is perhaps the single most intensely Lawful deity in
the Realms, and this shows in his stronghold quests.
This component has four effects:

It changes the alignment restrictions to serve
each of the deities to go with the alignments of
the deities. Lathander's alignment requirements are
unchanged, Helm accepts worshipers of any Lawful
alignment or True Neutral, and Talos accepts worshipers
of Chaotic Evil, Chaotic Neutral, or Neutral Evil
alignment. Chaotic Neutral Anomen stands as an anomaly,
but since Sir Anomen is an anomaly in the unmodded
game, it makes little difference.

It fixes a longstanding and infamous bug that
prevents cleric/rangers from being recognized as
part cleric for stronghold purposes.

It offers a cleric stronghold (Lathander, or Helm,
as appropriate to alignment) to monks, as well. Monks
still have the option of taking the fighter stronghold
instead.

It changes the holy symbols cleric party members
get to go with the new alignment requirements of
the deities, so that a Lawful Evil PC will
get a Holy Symbol of Helm which works for Lawful
and Neutral PCs while
a Chaotic Neutral PC will
get a Holy Symbol of Talos which works for clerics
within one step of Chaotic Evil.

Be warned that this component will not work with the
Multiple Stronghold component of the Ease-of-Use mod.
It will, however, work with the NPC Strongholds
mod and with the Holy Symbol Fix component of Ding0's
Tweak Pack.

Monk High Level Abilities In unmodded Throne of Bhaal, monks have access
to the same pool of High Level Abilities as fighters.
This seems lame. This component will give monks their
own set of High Level Abilities instead, most of which
should be quite familiar to anyone who has played through
Throne of Bhaal before.

Tiger Strike
A more powerful form of Shadowless Kick, this power
ensures every blow for the next round is a critical
hit. In addition, every blow for the next two rounds
throws the target back and knocks the target unconscious.
Prerequisite: Shadowless Kick.

Dragon Fist
With a blow, the monk strips away the magical protections
of the target.

Faster Than The Eye
By concentrating briefly on another area within 4000
feet, the monk can instantly transport herself there.
Prerequisite: Feet of the Wind.

Flip Resistances
The monk's magic resistance converts into physical
damage resistance for a number of rounds equal to
twice the monk's level. The monk also becomes immune
to backstab for the same duration.

Solar Stance
Solar Stance renders nearby enemies more vulnerable,
reducing the saving throws of any within 60 feet
of the monk by 4. It creates a cloud of glittering
golden particles that fill the air for twenty feet
around the monk, revealing invisible creatures. All
enemies in the cloud must roll a successful saving
throw vs. spell or be blinded (-4 to attack rolls,
saving throws, and Armor Class) until the dust fades,
after 4 rounds. Also, a blast of fire emanates from
the monk, scorching and throwing back everyone in
a 30-foot radius, though the stance protects the
monk from the flames.
Prerequisite: Tiger Strike.

Lunar Stance
A monk who strikes this stance gains a +5 bonus to
Saving Throws vs. Death, a + 2 bonus to luck, and
becomes immune to Slay, Imprisonment, Petrification,
Level Drain, Disintegrate, and Time Stop. The duration
of this power is four rounds.
Prerequisite: Solar Stance.

Shadow Stance
This stance causes the monk to instantly become both
invisible, as per the spell Improved Invisibility,
and immune to divination spells such as True Seeing.
This power lasts for 23 rounds.
Prerequisite: Lunar Stance.

Feet of the Wind
Each time this ability is chosen, it greatly and permanently
increases the monk's movement rate.

Second Wind
By concentrating briefly, the monk can shrug off even
the worst of wounds, once per day. The effect of
this power is to fully heal the monk instantly.
Prerequisite: Flip Resistances.

Stunning Blow
The monk has one more use of the Stunning Blow ability
per day.

Quivering Palm
The monk has one more use of the Quivering Palm ability
per day.

Holy Liberator Kit This component adds a new paladin kit to the
game, a conversion of a 3ed D&D Prestige Class.

A Holy Liberator is a cousin to the paladin, dedicated
to the overthrow of tyranny. These champions of freedom
are strong-willed, independent-minded, and virtuous.

In most respects, Holy Liberators are much like paladins.
However, they shun positions of leadership and value
wisdom over charisma. The trademark quality of the
Holy Liberator is that their nature is entirely hostile
to mind control abilities, whether putative allies
or enemies use those abilities.

Holy Liberators are as intensely dedicated to Chaotic
Good as paladins are to Lawful Good. For both, goodness
is paramount, but while paladins follow carefully codified
rules of conduct, Holy Liberators follow their own
consciences. However, the standards they hold themselves
to are no less strict.

Advantages:
- Immune to Charm.
- Gains Subversion ability, which temporarily protects
all in the surrounding area, regardless of allegiance,
from mind-affecting powers, once per day per four levels,
starting at first level with one use.